Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1887-09-09
AMERICAN LEATHER.
AN INDUSTRY DRAWING ON VARl-
g.. GUS PARTS or THE EARTH.


The supply, Of Oak and Hemlock
Bark-The Importation of Hides from
South America.
No industry, perhaps, draws on various
portions Of the earth toa greater extent than
leather making Leather production is not
thing confined to manufacturing centers.
The main feature Of the business is bringing
together hides and hemlock and oak bark, and
pretty Wild countries will suffice to produce
these. We find the Argentine Republic and
Brazil and our own western plains, including
Texas, III the lead in respect to hides In the
production Of the barks which provide the
requisite tannin the United States is easily
foremost.
Where henlloclz trees abound are the most
favorable places for tanning, and the largest
tannrries III this country are now in western
Pennsylvania and eastern Tennessee. The
main item OF expense il, obtaining bark is in
cutting roads to bring it out of tho woods.
Hemlock trees frequently yirld ten to fifteen
tons of bark to the Ecre. while tho Yield Of
oak trees is two or three tons y low COLI
tract price for Lemlocl, l,!r|. by the year is
$ per ton, and :or oak bari; 81. The great
est tauneries OF this country arc owned in
this city, and it is here that the greatest;
amount of business is done. Boston coming
next. Probably the largest oak tnnllcry i'll
the United States is at Chattanooga. Tenn,
and the largest henllocll tannery in Mexican
county. Pa, very close TO the Stata line at
Limestone. N. Y. On account Of the ex-
hauStlou OF the bark the Business of taNui,r.
IS not permanent one on Il large scnlc at
any particular place. a tanners business Is
not s,fo until his plal.t has been paid for out
of his profits, and ho is free to select II more
eligible site if he desires
flcH|ock bark is becoming RAPIDLY ex-
h"usted i'll this country, and it will not take
much more than Il generation, if the business
should be pushed, to practically exhaust it.
The supply of hemlock bark, unlike that OF
oak, cannot be newly created The average
age OF trees from which brmlocI1 bark is
taken is perhaps $50 years. varying from $50
to 800 years Oak trees can he grown for
bark i'll twenty years. The oak tree now
most relied upon is the ''cllestnut oak" of tho
south, known as tho crock oak in the north.
This grows on the Appalachian chain of
mountains in North Carolina aud Tennessee,
and north and south Of this locality in SEEM
ingly exhaust'ess quantities. Much of this
mountainous country seems worthless for
anything else but timber growing, and with
oak trees yielding bark III twenty years this
country ought Co be s:lrc 81 supply for all
tune. AS II Is NOW our hsnlOck forests ar.
being rapidly 0tenu.ietl Of th.;, bark that we
may supply the rest nf the world with cheap
leather
Economically the leather trade stands on
its own footing, hides coma in free of duty,
and while there Is a small duty on sole
leather, there is SO little need to import it on
account OF the superior facilities of this
country for making it that such duty is of
little account. On the other hand, tho trade
Of this country suffers from duties inpcsed
III other countries,
Notwithstanding its advantages in manu-
tncturn leather, the United States has
never & a>ped it in building up an important
export trade i'll boots and shoes. There are
large establishments in England md Suitz.l-
land that do business o! Ills kind f>; foreign
countries alone ON" establishments OK
clusiyely for export i:l :IwiIzrri:,nI employs
l.4W people, liu:n,rti!!g lis feather and nE,-
cLinrry largely Iroal the United States. They
hav" mad" these businesses by stu.tyinr
c,',Srly the wants uni lrejutiiccS of t!l,,..
whom thy seek to sell to, ani tho favuling
conditions of exchange and transportation
have done the rest.
In addition to the importation of hil,~s from,
i;''azii and til" Argentine Republic, referred
to, great many other countries of Che world
10 business OF this kind with the United
STATES. AH:n:: them may DO mentioned the
Central American states. the countries of the
Spanish m';in. different parts OF the African
continent. ai,,. quit largely in recent Years,
India and Gina. The best hides, perhaps,
; known III this market como from Chill The
! great supply comes from our western plains,
, where tic business OF stool, raising has
reached sucA magnitude. TIC Spanish cattle
! which ar" now rHi";l ,hr wghout South
! America, and arc ais, .,';l largely in Texas,
: at.r''l the best raw i:,;i,:.rlnl Tor the great
. s'ii>!' Of this tr:''ie-sr)" leather il hio :lcr
grades g: rctth, now generally raised on tbs
western, !'.'is the hides do not lave the
thiri., .s.f n" Spanish breeds
The increased fnc,iitrs Of rail: So; t:;.:..-
! porlntion and the retllir!"! pr. . -. ,.,:...
and 'is':" to bringing bark to ta!;,; ii :, and
makes less necessary than hrrcro?rir the
, movement of tannlciIcs 10 i'i;'s'>S where the
bark grows. Hemloc!l l.ari, i, IL s,.".i;:l prod
Uct OF tho north and west, while ii: l.si :; is
: found more a',undnntly further south .'uf-
| falo is an Important center lrr l'"u.nrl. tan
ming, are Baltimore and Cin.;'r:.ti for cal,
! tannil,r.-Ncw York Con!,ner,.ial advertiser